Is the 70-200 F2.8 too slow for indoor volleyball and basketball?

[k4show]

For high school level our gym is pretty bright, I have a 40D.

[beezwax]

as in the focusing?

[k4show]

No as in the aperture, the AF is very very fast.

[beezwax]

how do you guage the Apeture by speed?

[k4show]

A fast or slow lens, eg a F5.6 lens would be considered slow and F2 would be fast.

[Big K]

It all depends on the level of light in the gym. "Our gym is pretty bright" is not really a good description. My closet is pretty bright in comparison to my basement but does not really tell me if it is bright enough for an f/2.8 lens to do the job. (I list that as an example and am not trying to be a smart ass.)

You need to know what sort of exposure setting you will get in the gym and compare that to the photo requirements. Since you are asking about basketball and volleyball you need to know if you can get a shutter speed of at least 1/500 (1/800+ would be much better) at the highest ISO level you are comfortable using with an aperture of f/2.8.

An easy way to check this would be to get a light meter and go take some readings. This will quickly tell you exactly how bright the gym is and if an f/2.8 lens will be fast enough for what you need.

[k4show]

It all depends on the level of light in the gym. "Our gym is pretty bright" is not really a good description. My closet is pretty bright in comparison to my basement but does not really tell me if it is bright enough for an f/2.8 lens to do the job. (I list that as an example and am not trying to be a smart ass.)

You need to know what sort of exposure setting you will get in the gym and compare that to the photo requirements. Since you are asking about basketball and volleyball you need to know if you can get a shutter speed of at least 1/500 (1/800+ would be much better) at the highest ISO level you are comfortable using with an aperture of f/2.8.

An easy way to check this would be to get a light meter and go take some readings. This will quickly tell you exactly how bright the gym is and if an f/2.8 lens will be fast enough for what you need.

Okay thanks, on a 40D how high would you go for just facebook pictures and yearbook? 800? 1600? 3200?

[JeffreyG]

For high school level our gym is pretty bright, I have a 40D.

My suggestion is that you go visit the gym with whatever lenses you have now and find out before you buy anything. You can do this even with an 18-55 kit lens or whatever. Just do down and take some shots at f/5.6, ISO 1600 and whatever shutter speed it takes to get the exposure you want (via the histogram). Then you know that (for ISO1600) f/4 = 2X, f/2.8 = 4X and f/2 = 8X the shutter speed. ISO 3200 doubles these.

My local high schools have a range, but none of them are really good with f/2.8 lenses for the camera I have (1D Mark III). One school I shoot in is ISO3200 and f/2 just to get to 1/320. The best are about 1 stop brighter than that.

All of my local schools would require ISO6400 to be OK with f/2.8 lenses. I'm hoping the 1D Mark IV will make the print sizes I make with IQ I like at ISO6400 so that I can use my 70-200 indoors.

[k4show]

Okay I do have this lens in hand so that's not an issue. I did do some shots last year in the other gym in the school which is a tad bit darker than the one where I'm goign to shoot. The reading was ISO 1600, F2.8 and 1/250. So 3200 would give me my 1/500, if I get a chance I will check it out before the actual game.

[Big K]

Okay thanks, on a 40D how high would you go for just facebook pictures and yearbook? 800? 1600? 3200?

I don't have any experience with the 40D so hopefully others who have used it can give you a better response but my thoughts are for facebook 3200 with some noise reduction software would be fine. For the yearbook, it would depend on how big they would print the image and if it will be B&W or color. If 4x6 or less and in B&W 3200 would be OK and for anything color and/or larger 1600 would probably be the max before you start to get into noticeable problems.

Again, hopefully some 40D users can add their thoughts.

[Big K]

Okay I do have this lens in hand so that's not an issue. I did do some shots last year in the other gym in the school which is a tad bit darker than the one where I'm goign to shoot. The reading was ISO 1600, F2.8 and 1/250. So 3200 would give me my 1/500, if I get a chance I will check it out before the actual game.

Going and checking what settings you can get with the actual lens is an excellent idea. Good luck.

[k4show]

I don't have any experience with the 40D so hopefully others who have used it can give you a better response but my thoughts are for facebook 3200 with some noise reduction software would be fine. For the yearbook, it would depend on how big they would print the image and if it will be B&W or color. If 4x6 or less and in B&W 3200 would be OK and for anything color and/or larger 1600 would probably be the max before you start to get into noticeable problems.

Again, hopefully some 40D users can add their thoughts.

They are like wallet sized color shots in the yearbook. The regular photographer for our school just shoots greenbox with a kit lens on a Nikon D60 with on board flash, and his shots aren't that great at all really so needless to say this would be an obvious improvement.(Not to sound arrogant)

[beezwax]

i would imagine that a 2.8 would be plenty narrow or "fast" to shoot in low light arenas or gym's... i've shoot my 70-2002.8 in the dark at 2.8, 3200, 1/160 and the shot was pretty clear and bright for being at night

[JeffreyG]

They are like wallet sized color shots in the yearbook. The regular photographer for our school just shoots greenbox with a kit lens on a Nikon D60 with on board flash, and his shots aren't that great at all really so needless to say this would be an obvious improvement.(Not to sound arrogant)

Rule of thumb - smaller prints and web sized images can take some horrific IQ and still look pretty good. ISO 1600 is a snap on your 40D for this size output and ISO3200 will probably look fine.

You can also slap some pretty heavy NR on the files. The detail that will get blurred out won't be visible at a small size anyway.

Try shooting some stuff around the house at ISO 1600 -3200 - 6400. Then resize it to a web size and view it at full size on your monitor. How does that look?

[Big K]

Rule of thumb - smaller prints and web sized images can take some horrific IQ and still look pretty good. ISO 1600 is a snap on your 40D for this size output and ISO3200 will probably look fine.

You can also slap some pretty heavy NR on the files. The detail that will get blurred out won't be visible at a small size anyway.

Try shooting some stuff around the house at ISO 1600 -3200 - 6400. Then resize it to a web size and view it at full size on your monitor. How does that look?

+1 .

[k4show]

Rule of thumb - smaller prints and web sized images can take some horrific IQ and still look pretty good. ISO 1600 is a snap on your 40D for this size output and ISO3200 will probably look fine.

You can also slap some pretty heavy NR on the files. The detail that will get blurred out won't be visible at a small size anyway.

Try shooting some stuff around the house at ISO 1600 -3200 - 6400. Then resize it to a web size and view it at full size on your monitor. How does that look?

Okay will do, when I get a free chance which is rare with exams around the corner. Also would underexposing ISO 3200 by a stop and then compensating for the stop in LR be considered ISO 6400?

[Big K]

Okay will do, when I get a free chance which is rare with exams around the corner. Also would underexposing ISO 3200 by a stop and then compensating for the stop in LR be considered ISO 6400?

Technically yes but that is not a good idea. Underexposing high ISO images really makes the noise much worse when you fix them in post. You will actually end up with much better noise control and image quality if you overexpose by about 1/3.

Getting the fastest shutter speed is always recommended but not at the expense of underexposing high ISO images.

[JeffreyG]

Okay will do, when I get a free chance which is rare with exams around the corner. Also would underexposing ISO 3200 by a stop and then compensating for the stop in LR be considered ISO 6400?

Everything over ISO1600 in the 40D is boosted. When you shoot at 'H' it is really just ISO 1600 boosted in the camera. It's no better than doing it in post.

[Sibil]

Technically yes but that is not a good idea. Underexposing high ISO images really makes the noise much worse when you fix them in post. You will actually end up with much better noise control and image quality if you overexpose by about 1/3.
Agreed. Avoid underexposed shots at high ISO.

To the op. Remember that shooting ambient, I don't think there is one set exposure that works for all the shots. The cycling lights, coupled with where on the court you are shooting, how tight the shots are, uniform colors, all play some role on your exposure settings; that is, in my experience.

[k4show]

I got an exposure for the gym at F2.8 1/320 ISO 1600. I think I would go up to 3200 and overexpose it a bit to 1/500 to reduce the noise a tad.

[FOX2PRO]

A lot of it depends on the gym. I've been to some that were beautifully lit, and some that were like caverns. I would just shoot wideopen, max ISO, and adjust shutter speed as needed. Underexpose if you must.

[canonnoob]

It all depends on the level of light in the gym. "Our gym is pretty bright" is not really a good description. My closet is pretty bright in comparison to my basement but does not really tell me if it is bright enough for an f/2.8 lens to do the job. (I list that as an example and am not trying to be a smart ass.)

You need to know what sort of exposure setting you will get in the gym and compare that to the photo requirements. Since you are asking about basketball and volleyball you need to know if you can get a shutter speed of at least 1/500 (1/800+ would be much better) at the highest ISO level you are comfortable using with an aperture of f/2.8.

An easy way to check this would be to get a light meter and go take some readings. This will quickly tell you exactly how bright the gym is and if an f/2.8 lens will be fast enough for what you need.

x2... it all just depends on the situation. and your gym

[Zivnuska]

x3.

[DC Fan]

A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is a standard available-light indoor sports lens. Whether Canon or Nikon, one of those lenses has been in use at nearly all of the basketball games you'll find this season.

http://www.kevinlillard.com/racing/2010-01-14a-0059.jpg

There's a reason that Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Tamron all make a lens with that basic specification (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=70-200mm&N=0&InitialSearch=yes) - they're very good for available-light photography.

[Big K]

I got an exposure for the gym at F2.8 1/320 ISO 1600. I think I would go up to 3200 and overexpose it a bit to 1/500 to reduce the noise a tad.

That sounds like a good plan. You are still going to have problems with noise but that should help minimize it. You might also shoot some frames at 1/640 just so you have a reference for any future events.

Good luck.